Peanut cleaner



(No Model.) r 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. W. NICHOLSON 8v. R. H. LEIGH.

Peanut Cleaner, Polisher and Assorter. No'. 242,680. Patented June 7,1881.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, PMln-Llwlrlphen Washingiun, D, Q

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

'0. W. NICHOLSON & R. H LEIGH. l Peanut Gleaner, Polisher and Assorten Patented June 7,1881.

WITNESSES!- ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS PhMwL-ilhognphm. Walhirlgtoll, D. C.

' UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. NICHOLSON AND RICHARD H LElGH, OF ASSAMOOSIOK,

' VIRGINIA.

PEANUT CLEANER, POLISHER, AND AS SORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 242,680, dated June 7, 1881. Application filed February 1'7, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES W. N ICHOL- SON and RICHARD H. LEIGH, of Assamoosick, in the county of Southampton and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Peanut Cleaning, Assorting, and

Polishing Machines and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same. 7

The object of our invention is to provide an improvement in the class of machines adapted for removing stones, dirt, 820., from peanuts, and also for polishing and assorting them.

The improvements consist, first, in the construction of the cleaning-cylinder, through which the peanuts are passed to remove foreign substances; second, in the construction and arrangement of a spout and chute for facilitating and regulating the action of a blast on the nuts; and, third, in the construction of aflexible belt or apron, which is armed with bristles for use in polishing the nuts.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a side elevation of an apparatus embodyingour improvements, part being broken away. Fig.2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig.

- 4 is in part an end view and in part a vertical section.

The operative parts of theinachine are supported and suitably arranged in a frame-work, A. The hopper B, for receiving the peanuts to be cleaned, polished, and assorted, is arranged at one end of the frame A, and provided with a shoe, 0, which is suspended beneath the hopper by means of a rod or wire, a, and cords I), which permit longitudinal or to-and -fro movement of the shoe, and allow its front end to be raised or lo wered, as required, to regulate the discharge of the nuts into the cleaningcylinder D.

The to-and-fro movement is effected automatically by devices that connect the shoe with a counter-shaft, E, which derives motion from the cylinder-shaft F through the medium of a belt, G. Said devices consist of an elbowlever, H, and rod I. The lever H is pivoted at its angle to the frame A, beneath the shoe O, and its respective arms are loosely attached to the shoe 0 and rod 1. The latter slides vertically in guides or keepers c, and itslower end is pivoted eccentrically to a disk, d, on

the end of shaft E, so that the rotation of the latter reciprocates the rod I, vibrates the lever H, and thus imparts vibratory motion to the shoe 0. From the shoe the nuts discharge into a semi-cylindrical eonveyer or chute, K, which is open on its front side and projects through the head 6 of the cylinder 1),, with which it is concentrically arranged. The cylinder is mounted on the horizontal shaft F,

which also passes through the conveyer K.

The cylinder is gradually enlarged from its front to the rear end, to cause the nuts to feed or move through it with the desired rapidity. It is constructed of longitudinal slats f, separated by narrow spaces, through which the broken stems, dirt, and other impurities are discharged. Everysecond slat is made shorter than the two adjacent ones, so that it does not extend to the larger head 9 of the cylinder, thus leaving a series of peripheral openings, h, through which the cleaned nuts discharge. We may, however, construct the cylinder of coarse woven wire, but openings will be formed at the larger end, as in the other case. As the nuts leave the cylinder D they fall upon chutes M, and, passing down in the space between them, are acted on by the blast produced by the rotaryfan N, which is located at one end of a spout, O, that is open at the other end, and arranged nearly horizontal.

The fan N derives motion from the cylinder D by means of a belt, P, passing around the larger end of the latter. The force of the blast will drive the lighter and worthless nuts and broken pieces of shells, or other light refuse matter that may be mingled with them, through the spout 0, so that they will be discharged into any suitable receptacle provided for the purpose. The heavier nuts, not being thus affected by the blast, continue to fall and descend through the opening '13 in the bottom of the spout O, and may then take either of two courses, according to their relative gravitythat is to say, those nuts which are heaviest, and therefore of the best quality and highest market value, descend in, a nearly straight course, and are received upon a traveling polishing-belt, R, and disposed of as hereinafter described, while those which are of less gravity, and consequently of a slightly inferior quality or grade, are farther deflected from the vertical and received upon an adjustable chute or apron, S, by which they are delivered at the left side of the machine, Fig. 4,into a suitable .receptacle. (Not shown.)

The effect of the blast upon the heavier nuts may be varied, as required by their general quality or grade, by adjusting the chute S lengthwise-that is to say, the .chute is arranged so that its upper and inner end is'directly beneath or in the opening 1' in the bottom of the spout O, and is attached to a horizontal rod, k, that works laterally in keepers I, Fig. 4. A lever, T, is attached to said rod is and pivoted to the spout 0, so that by adjusting it at different angles the chute S will be shifted endwise, thus bringing its upper end nearer the middle or left-hand end, Fig. 3, of the opening t, as the case may be. The lever T may be secured by a pin, or any other suitable device, in any adjustment, so as to hold the chute fixed in the desired position. Such adjustment of the chute S regulates the blast by dividing it more or less. Th us when adjusted to the right, as shown in full lines, Figs. 3 and 4, it closes about half the opening t, and to a corresponding extent cuts off or prevents the blast from passing through the latter, so that more of its force is expended in the spout itself, and consequentl y the quantity of nuts that can fall upon the polishing-belt R is diminished, and the quantity that falls upon the chute S is correspondingly increased. On the other hand, if

the chute S be adjusted to the left, as shown in dotted lines, Fig.4, the contrary effect is produced, more of the blast, and hence a greater quantity of the nuts being diverted downward through the openingi, and a less quantity diverted laterally in the spout O and into the chute S.

The operation is graphically illustrated by arrows, Fig. 4,.the plain ones indicating the course of the blast, the arrows marked 1 the course of the heaviest nuts, and arrows marked 2 the course of the second quality. The endlesspolishing-belt R is studded with stiff bristles and arranged horizontally on pulleys. The pulleys are rotated by beltUfrom thefan-shaft, so that the upper side of the endless belt R travels to. the right, Fig. 3, and therefore conveys the first-grade nuts in the same direction, and delivers them upon a circular rotating assorting-table, V. The polishing operation is effected during this transit of the nuts by the friction with the bristles of the belt R and the stationary rubber W arranged above it. Such rubber W is composed of a strip of leather or other flexible material studded with bristles on its under side, and having a series of blocks free to undulate or rise and fall, except at its front end, is thereby adapted to press and act in the desired manner upon all the nuts as they pass beneath it, whereas if it were fixed in position throughout its length it would fail to polish the smaller nuts properly. As the nuts, duly polished, are delivered upon the table V they are assorted by pickers standing around the table-that is to say, a certain pereentum of the nuts being too dark to bring the highest market price require to be removed, and this can only be done manually. The table is atfixed to horizontal arms radiating from a vertical shaft, X, which derives a slow motion from the axis of the endless-belt pulley. As the table moves around its axis the sound and light-colored nuts are automatically removed from it into a suitable receptacle (not shown)-by means ofa scraper or bar, Y, that projects inward from the frame A, and is supported horizontally in close proximity to the top of the table, as shown. Thus by our improved machine peanuts are rapidly fed through and cleaned by the rotating cylinder B, the light or faulty ones are removed, and the remainder or sound nuts divided into two grades, those of best quality being polished, and at the same time conveyed to and delivered upon a table, whereon they are again assorted, and from which they are finally removed automatically into a suitable receptacle.

We do not claim an adjustable board or equivalent for regulating the blast of a fan; nor, broadly, a presser or rubber in combination with a traveling belt.

What we claim is- 1. The cleaning cylinder constructed of lengthwise slats separated by narrow spaces, and the alternate slats being shorter than the others, thus leaving peripheral openings at. the larger end of the cylinder, as shown and described.

'2. Thecombination, with thetravelingapron or belt armed with bristles, of a flexible presser, likewise armed with bristles and fixed at one end, and its jointed and flexible free portion resting on the belt, as and forthe purpose specified.

3. Thecombination,with thetraveling apron, of the leather strip which is attached at a fixed point and armed with bristles, and a series of blocks attached thereto, as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, in a peanutcleanin g and assorting machine, of the fan, an adjustable chute, and the spout having coincident openings in upper and under side, said chute being arranged as shown, whereby its head lies directly beneath the lower opening and may be adjusted to expose more or less of the latter for varying the blast, all as shown and described.

CHARLES W. NICHOLSON. RICHARD H. LEIGH.

WVitnesses GHAs. A. Pnr'rrcr, SoLoN O. KEMON. 

